There is a very good chance that, like me, you weren’t able to attend the SXSW music conference and festival that’s been happening this week in Austin. That’s okay because tonight’s Indie Rock Hit Parade aims to provide all the new music discovery with only some of the hassle of not having the proper badge credentials. Listen at 11pm ET on WXPN for a full two-hour show that might just introduce you to your new favorite band. We’ll hear a few album spotlights in the mix, including new releases from Spoon, Jay Som and The Magnetic Fields. Also be on the lookout for a new Feist track that I might or might not play tonight. Preview a few new things below:

“You’re a big fish now, though!” someone shouted from sidestage, just before Vagabon launched into “The Embers,” the final song of a stunning record release show at PhilaMOCA on Saturday night. Vagabon — the stage name of one Laetitia Tamko — was riding high on the release of Infinite Worlds, out the 24th on Father/Daughter Records. “The Embers,” a song exploring a more solipsistic landscape, repeats in its refrain that “I’m just a small fish.” While inside, Tamko may feel like a small fish in a big pond, the acclaimed release of Infinite Worlds and it’s two sold-out release shows (Friday night she appeared in Brooklyn with Mal Devisa and Jelani Sai) are ripples indicating that something big is emerging from beneath the surface. Continue reading →

The Indie Rock Hit Parade returns with an all-new show tonight at 11pm ET on XPN! Listen for a number of things that will fill your Friday night with whimsy, including a brand new live studio session with Carol Cleveland Sings! The group, featuring Thomas Hughes of The Spinto Band/The Music tapes and singer-songwriter Gretchen Lohse, are pros when it comes to making ear-catching pop as well as constructing mesmerizing video collages. We’ll hear CCS perform songs from their 2016 debut, Effervescent Lure, live in the studio! Also in the mix tonight, new tracks from Europop lifer Jens Lekman, lyrical spellbinder Vagabon and the always adventurous Xiu Xiu. Check out a few of those selections below…

The music Laetitia Tamko makes as Vagabon is all about defiance. Be it odds, expectations, or cultural norms, it always seems to come back to being made to feel small. Whether its through internal or external forces, this sense of smallness is what drives her new album Infinite Worlds. It’s given to us right away in the first lines of opener “The Embers”, where she finds herself “on the bus where everybody is tall”. As a woman of color writing and performing in white male-dominated indie rock, there’s a lot of charged ideas and imagery for Tamko to grapple with here, but it’s the bravery and empathy she does it with that makes the record what it is. You can stream it now via NPR First Listen. Continue reading →

New York’s Lætitia Tamko, AKA Vagabon, will headline PhilaMOCA this February 25th in support of her debut LP, Infinite Worlds. The album, which features previously released single “Fear & Force”, comes out the day before. “Fear and Force” is a reworking of “Vermont II” from her Persian Garden EP. Continue reading →

Easy-grooving indie pop outfit Vagabon — the project of Lætitia Tamko — has a new record coming out on February 24th of next year off of Father/Daughter Records. It’s called Infinite Worlds, it’s her first new material since 2014, and it’s Tarnko’s her full-length debut. If that’s not enough good news, she’ll be gracing the Everybody Hits stage on December 12th, hanging with Sad13 (the awesome indie pop project of Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis, who recently moved to Philly), Emily Reo, and Told Slant.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH